Assassin’s Creed has been around for a long time – the first game came out back in 2007. Since then, it has become a staple Ubisoft franchise with a game release in this franchise every year over the past few years. The series has also attempted to re-invent itself as it moved from the initial set of stealth / parkour / assassination led gameplay to a full blown RPG, and from there back to it’s roots in the recently launched Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
If you have finished devouring what this series (admittedly considerable) content; and are looking for inspiration on the next set of a similar franchise with an expansive game list available for you to spend hours in; here are the top recommendations from us: (Also, you may want to check out what we think are the 10 best Assassins’ Creed games and see if you agree with what we have rated as the best)
Hitman
![](https://thegamenomad.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/hitman-collage-1.jpg)
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All Hitman Games In Order of Release Year & Release Platforms
Game | Release Year | Platforms |
Hitman Codename 47 | 2000 | PC |
Hitman 2 Silent Assassin | 2002 | PC, PS2, Xbox, Nintendo |
Hitman Contracts | 2004 | PC, PS2, Xbox |
Hitman Blood Money | 2006 | PC, PS2, PS3, Xbox, Xbox 360 |
Hitman Absolution | 2014 | PC, PS3, Xbox 360 |
Hitman | 2016 | PC, PS4, Xbox One |
Hitman 2 | 2018 | PC, PS4, Xbox One |
Hitman 3 | 2021 | PC, PS4, Xbox One |
Hitman World of Assassination | 2022 | PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X |
There are a lot of similarities between Hitman and Assassin’s Creeds earlier set of games.
- Stealth Gameplay: Both franchises heavily emphasize stealth as a core gameplay element. While there is always an option to go all guns blazing in Hitman or melee your way through to a target in Assassin’s Creed, there is always a higher reward for going through about your mission as stealthily as possible. Assassin’s Creed also had bonus objectives for each of the missions which again emphasized stealth gameplay.
- Assassination Missions: The entire sandbox style areas in Hitman, and the extensive world-building in Assassin’s Creed served towards Assassination Missions – often key figures in the story, or arch-villains and their coterie. Planning the right approach and route to lead to these enemies (usually hidden in well fortified areas with multiple enemies guarding paths) required carefully scoping out the area and then going about in a cautious but determined manner.
- Infiltration and Disguises: While this admittedly was much strongly realized in Hitman where you could eliminate lets say a security guard, change into his disguise, enter the area, then eliminate the cook and carry that poison laced drink to serve the villain to be assassinated; this was done in Assassin’s Creed through emphasis on blending with the crowd and thereby reducing chances of detection by the enemy.
- Assassination Tools: Planning the set of items to take along the mission again formed an integral part of the planning process in Hitman – and as missions got completed, to approach and play that mission in a different way next time around players got rewarded with different items which would completely change the approach for a second run at the mission. In Assassin’s Creed this repertoire also kept getting added on in each game – from poison darts to hallucinogenic darts to sleep darts and so on.
Who Did It Better?
Our vote on this will have to go to Hitman – it stayed true to it’s roots and greatly expanded sandbox style areas to emphasize the true feeling of playing a Hitman – who silently goes, does his stuff and comes back with no one getting wiser. Assassin’s Creed over the latter half of games increasingly moved away from emphasis on stealth and gave equal, in fact some may say more emphasis by the time Valhalla came in.
Far Cry
![](https://thegamenomad.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/far-cry-1024x576.webp)
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All Far Cry Game In Order Of Release Year & Platforms
Game | Release Year | Platforms |
Far Cry | 2004 | PC |
Far Cry 2 | 2008 | PC, Xbox360, PS3 |
Far Cry 3 | 2012 | PC, Xbox360, PS3 |
Far Cry 4 | 2014 | PC, Xbox360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4 |
Far Cry 5 | 2018 | PC, Xbox One, PS4 |
Far Cry 6 | 2021 | PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PS4, PS5 |
The second series that you should get your hands on, in the unlikely instance that you have not so far, is the Far Cry series – another Ubisoft staple franchise whose first entry came a couple of years before Assassin’s Creed.
- Open-World Exploration: Both series feature massive open-world environments that allow players the freedom to roam around in richly detailed and immersive spaces. This feature especially was well-realized in the latter Assassin’s Creed – ancient Egypt, Victorian England, Paris being particularly memorable ones. Far Cry meanwhile focused on more ‘fictional’ settings like Kyrat, Esperenza, Micronesia – which although closely mirrored some real geographical locations.
- Storytelling: This again was an area where Far Cry began to build over a period of time – and the main anchor in all cases were superbly fleshed out villains. Vaz, in Far Cry 3, is often considered among the top villains in video games. In case of Assassin’s Creed – the emphasis has been on lore and building upon the Assassins vs the Templars story line.
- Mission Structure: Clearing camps in Far Cry became the equivalent of clearing out forts in Assassin’s Creed – with both giving the option to go about stealthily – sniping / assassinating and clearing out the area enemy by enemy, or taking them all at once – shotguns and swords respectively. Unlocking areas by synchronizing points, a vast array of collectibles to scavenge are other points where the Ubisoft hand could be seen behind the mission structure and gameplay
- Stealth and Combat: Players have the option to approach situations stealthily or engage in combat, with both franchises offering diverse tools and weapons to accomplish objectives. “Assassin’s Creed” emphasizes stealth and melee combat, while “Far Cry” includes gunplay and a wider range of weaponry.
Who Does It Better
Tough one, but maybe we will give this to Assassin’s Creed – world building, accurately realized time periods and historical settings, plus a rich lore make this the meatier franchise.
Elder Scrolls
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Game | Release Year | Platform |
Arena | 1994 | PC |
Daggerfall | 1996 | PC |
Morrowind | 2002 | PC, Xbox |
Oblivion | 2006 | PC, Xbox360, PS3 |
Skyrim | 2011 | PC, Xbox360, PS3 |
The Elder Scrolls Online | 2014 | PC, Xbox One, PS4 |
Next we come to one of the most beloved RPG franchises of all time, and rightly so – The Elder Scrolls Universe. The above table does not capture the numerous DLCs and re-releases that happened for subsequent games – that table alone would be enough content to be covered separately. What makes this franchise so special, and more importantly what elements does it share with the Assassin’s Creed universe – let’s dive into this (Again, Origins / Odyssey / Valhalla is what we will take from the AC universe to compare)
- Open-World Exploration: This is the central characteristic of both – massive open-world environments for players to explore at their own pace. Players can wander through cities, villages, forests, and other diverse landscapes in both franchises.
- Rich Lore and World-Building: Both series feature extensive lore and world-building. The Elder Scrolls series is known for its deep and immersive fantasy lore, while Assassin’s Creed delves into historical and often conspiratorial narratives. In both cases, players can uncover hidden stories and secrets within the game world.
- Freedom of Choice: Players in both series have a high degree of freedom in how they approach the game. Whether it’s choosing to complete quests in a particular order, taking on side quests, or deciding on a character build or playstyle, both series prioritize player agency. Of course, Elder Scrolls have taken this to a different level – while in Assassin’s Creed the main protagonist is fixed; Elder Scrolls spoil you for choice by offering a jaw dropping variety at the character customization level – that itself is enough to immerse several hours into designing the look and feel of the character exactly the way you want. Next, numerous faction quests to join and complete also decide how the world reacts to you in Elder Scrolls; which is absent in Assassin’s Creed.
- Ancient Artifacts and Hidden Treasures: Again a mainstay of RPGs, both series involve going off the beaten path to search for powerful artifacts or hidden treasures – weapons, books of knowledge, relics, rare ingredients, armour sets and other collectibles
- Player Progression: Progression systems are present in both series. In The Elder Scrolls, players can level up skills and attributes, while Assassin’s Creed games offer experience-based progression through skill trees and equipment upgrades
Who Does It Better?
This one was easy – Elder Scrolls. The amount of freedom, the almost endless side quests and faction quests, the deep character customization and build options – there is a reason why Elder Scrolls games are considered to be the platinum standard when it comes to RPGs! Assassin’s Creed does it well, but not nearly as how Bethesda has mastered this to an art form.